Is This Vegetable THAT Uncommon?

[kirstenb1]

I grew up in the north, and had no idea what a parsnip looked like. I feel like my entire childhood was turnips, rutabagas, carrots and potatoes. Just learned something new!

 

[Dawnlight]

I LOVE parsnips. I put them in soups and roast them with outer root veggies. Passover matza ball soup wouldn't be the same without parnsips!

My turn: (this veggie couldn't be identified by the cashier of Whole Foods, the only place where I can find these delicious nuggets)

 

[NotUrsula]

Jerusalem artichokes, aka "sunchokes" -- sunflower roots. (Also sometimes known as "fartichokes" -- some people have real issues with discomfort after eating them.)

I used to have a mirliton vine in my yard when I was in grad school. They are best used as a vehicle for stuffing; I've stuffed them with crawfish, shrimp and sausage recipes over the years.

Another one:

 

[scrapquitler]

Nope. Hubby grows them in his garden. Pretty normal vegetable. And, NO, it's not a white carrot. LOL

Parsnip people. Parsnip.

Yep. I always put them in soup.

 

[Dawnlight]

Jerusalem artichokes, aka "sunchokes" -- sunflower roots. (Also sometimes known as "fartichokes" -- some people have real issues with discomfort after eating them.)

I used to have a mirliton vine in my yard when I was in grad school. They are best used as a vehicle for stuffing; I've stuffed them with crawfish, shrimp and sausage recipes over the years.

Another one:

Thankfully, my family and I don't have issues with sunchokes. I make a pureed soup with them, but also love them roasted. I wish there were more common and could be found in regular grocery stores. I might start growing some myself, as they are very costly at Whole Foods, especially when feeding 8 of us.

That root is black salsify. Haven't used it myself.

 

[Andtototoo]

I had never seen one until I moved to the midwest. Root type vegetables seem to be much more common fare here. I don't taste the appeal, to be honest.

 

[snapppyd]

I love parsnips. I think the new picture is ginger?

 

[MataHari22]

We call it Mirliton....also called Vegetable pear...I can't stand it- just mushy and bland

I knew there was another name for it, but I couldn't remember, all I could think of was alligator pear, but that's an avocado. Lol. I've heard Emeril Lagasse call it a Mirliton. My mom is originally from New Mexico, so, we always called it a chayote.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

My first guess was turnip, but I have eaten parsnips. I had a recipe a year or two ago that called for parsnips, might have been a stew. Do some people cook them and mash them up--sorta like a substitute for mashed potatoes? Roasted parsnips sounds like a winner to me. Most veggies take on a much better flavor when roasted.

Yes, you can boil or steam and then mash or puree parsnips, turnips, etc. I don't often mash them, but I like to keep them lumpy if I do.

I DID stump a cashier with a zucchini once. I think she knew what it was, just didn't know the code, and couldn't find it. I suggested "green squash" but no luck. Finally she asked me if I knew the price. I THINK it was $1.29 per pound, so she just weighed it and hit the MISC PRODUCE key. (I really should have messed with her mind and told her it was a "courgette." )

My grandmother and mother always called them courgettes. I don't think I heard the term zucchini until I was a teen. And eggplants were called aubergines.

Just curious, can anybody describe what parsnips taste like? Never had one, need to try new things.

When roasted or cooked in a stew, they have a somewhat sweet taste. Texture is similar to carrots.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

A good friend of mine replaces sugar ingredients with parsnips. The only time I have eaten them is when she bakes a cake.

 

[dashofsunshine]

I LOVE parsnips. I put them in soups and roast them with outer root veggies. Passover matza ball soup wouldn't be the same without parnsips!

My turn: (this veggie couldn't be identified by the cashier of Whole Foods, the only place where I can find these delicious nuggets)

We cook a lot of Asian foods in this house and always have fresh ginger on hand. I make ginger tea, too

Parsnips are ehhhhh for me. I'll eat them, but they aren't my fave. I wouldn't go out of my way for them. If they're in a roasted veggie medley or stew, that's cool. I tried parsnip fries one time, though - wasn't a huge fan.

EDIT: although I've never seen ginger root in those small little nugget shapes (usually longer for us), and now I'm doubting it because Whole Foods is seriously the only place you can find it?

 

[leebee]

Parsnips are starchier than a carrot, with a sweet, slightly earthy flavor. I love them.

Aubergine is British english for eggplant; Australia and North America English use eggplant. Aubergine is also the name of the color that is the color of eggplant!

 

[kimmar067]

I've been eating these since my mother fed them to me as a kid. I buy them five or six times a year, usually for a stew, but sometimes to roast with potatoes and carrots. More often than not, it seems the supermarket cashiers, either young kids or even older adults, have no idea what they are and they have to ask me or another cashier.

I already stumped a cashier for 2016 earlier tonight. Nowadays I'm disappointed when they CAN identify them.

Here's a nice corkscrew one I bought last year.

....what veggie is it?

 

[Dawnlight]

I love parsnips. I think the new picture is ginger?

We cook a lot of Asian foods in this house and always have fresh ginger on hand. I make ginger tea, too

Parsnips are ehhhhh for me. I'll eat them, but they aren't my fave. I wouldn't go out of my way for them. If they're in a roasted veggie medley or stew, that's cool. I tried parsnip fries one time, though - wasn't a huge fan.

EDIT: although I've never seen ginger root in those small little nugget shapes (usually longer for us), and now I'm doubting it because Whole Foods is seriously the only place you can find it?

No, not ginger, though looks very similar.

This is the right answer:

Jerusalem artichokes, aka "sunchokes" -- sunflower roots. (Also sometimes known as "fartichokes" -- some people have real issues with discomfort after eating them.)

 

[Tinijocaro]

Looks like a daikon radish. Does look a bit skinnier than the ones I've had.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Aubergine is British english for eggplant; Australia and North America uses eggplant. Aubergine is also the name of the color that is the color of eggplant!

Yep, I grew up knowing them as aubergine, not that we ate them all that often. And just like orange can be a fruit and a color, aubergine is a synonym for purple.

....what veggie is it?

Parsnips.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Here are Daikon radishes-used a lot in Japanese and probably other Asian cooking.

 

[princess barbara]

New England born and bred. Parsnips, rutabagas and turnips are staples around here. We usually leave the parsnips in the ground and harvest in the early spring as the snow melts. Makes them sweeter. Google recipes for parsnip cupcakes- so yummy and easy to bake.

 

[dashofsunshine]

No, not ginger, though looks very similar.

This is the right answer:

That makes much more sense!! Haha, at first glance I was like, oh! Ginger! And then I said, waaaaait a minute...

 

[MataHari22]

I grew up eating parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, etc. Mostly cut up in stews or soups. Also mashed. Grandmother and mother knew just the right point to stop boiling them so they didn't become mushy. Then they would mash them, while still leaving it a bit chunky. Mmmmm. The best combo was mashed carrots and parsnips.

I didn't know about roasting such veggies until I was an adult. Now I roast those root vegetables three or four times every winter, and still use them in soups and stews. But I gave up on mashing them. DDs and exH looked aghast the first time I served them mashed, and said "I'm not eating THAT."

Didn't know what kohlrabi was until maybe 20 years ago, and I never tried it.

I think NewRVLady's photo is a chayote squash. I've seen them around occasionally, but never tried one.

Recently I started noticing this in one market. Romanesco, or broccoliflower. I suppose it's a hybrid between broccoli and cauliflower, and I like the fractal shapes it forms.


Every Christmas season I see this in the same market. Have no idea what to do with it. Cardone.

My Sicilian great-grandmother use to make cardoons all the time. She would dip them in eggs, then breadcrumbs, and fry them. They taste like artichokes to me. I have not had them in many, many years.